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If one were to ask a mom of school-aged or even preschool children about vaccinations, there would most likely be a strong response for or against them. Childhood vaccinations have become a hot topic among the parents of the under-seven set, with most people decidedly very much against them or wholeheartedly supporting the typical schedule of shots.
There are few parents who straddle the fence on this issue, but it was not always this way.
The idea of not vaccinating one's child is a relatively recent occurrence. When the now-debunked research linking autism to the aggressive immunization schedule in early childhood first came about, parents feared unknowingly causing their child irreparable harm. Though that study was disproven, many parents still believe there is a connection.
Some also believe that introducing "live" viruses into their child's system is simply not healthy or necessary. Many parents think a case of the measles, chicken pox, or even whooping cough, are just ordinary childhood diseases and not ones children need to guard against.
Most doctors warn against such thinking though. In 2010, California saw its worst whooping cough epidemic in 50 years. While most people, particularly older children and adults, will only get an aggravating cough or what seems like a bad cold, this disease can be deadly for infants, which it was during the California outbreak.
While the parents who choose not to immunize their children may believe it is a personal decision, experts say that decision can harm other people, especially the very young and old, and those with compromised immune systems.
In a 2010 article for KPBS.org, Dr. Dean Sidelinger, the deputy public health officer for San Diego County, said he believes children who are not vaccinated are putting others at risk.
Sidelinger said that not immunizing one's child is "a decision that will have a broader public health protection because when they are out in the grocery store and there’s a baby in the next aisle or they’re sitting in the waiting room at their doctors office and the person next to them has had treatment for leukemia and not able to fight infections, if their child was sick they could potentially pass it on without even knowing it."
There are mothers who believe that the amount of time she spends breastfeedng her child can create enough natural immunizations so that child does not need vaccinations. Experts do not agree with this idea either, saying that breastfeedng benefits simply cannot take the place of disease-specific vaccinations.
Most doctors agree that vaccinations save lives but not all parents are buying into that way of thinking anymore. While this debate is being waged, it may get harder and harder to avoid outbreaks of preventable childhood diseases as more parents opt out of the immunization system.
Sources:
KPBS.org. Web. Published 24 August 2010. "More parents not vaccinating kids."
http://www.kpbs.org/news/2010/aug/24/more-parents-not-vaccinating-kids
CDC.gov. Web. 28 March 2012. "If You Choose Not to Vaccinate Your Child, Understand the Risks and Responsibilities."
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/spec-grps/hcp/downloads/not-vacc-risks-bw-office.pdf
Reviewed March 28, 2012
by Michele Blacksberg RN
Edited by Jody Smith
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